Method of producing hose



Feb. 4, 1964 R. c. SPURGEON METHOD OF PRODUCING HOSE Filed June 26, 1962 m T m V m fil'lfifird aga 7e00,

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United States Patent 3,120,049 METHOD OF PRQDUCING HUSE Richard C. Spurgeon, Cow Path Road, Montgomeryville, Pa, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Richard C. Spurgeon, Lansdale, Pa., and Glendon E. Robertson, Philadelphia, Pa, as tenants in common Filed June 26, 1962, Ser. No. 295,327 3 Claims. (61. 28-72) This invention relates generally to the production of hose for ladies, and particularly to improvements in methods of producing full length full fashioned and seamless hose knit of synthetic linear polymer yarns, such as nylon.

In the knitting of full length full fashioned and seamless stockings of synthetic linear polymer yarns, such as nylon, it is invariably found that, however uniform in length the stockings are intended to be, the stockings differ in length sufliciently to require pairing. Accordingly, an important object of the invention is to provide a method of producing such stockings so uniform in length that the operation of pairing the stockings is rendered superfluous.

Another object is to provide a method of producing such stockings and more evenly distributing and materially increasing the elasticity of the fabric throughout the leg portion of the stocking.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent when the following description is read with reference to the accompanying drawing, which is a perspective view of apparatus suitable for use in the practice of the invention.

Referring to the drawing, exemplary apparatus suitable for use in the practice of the invention includes a stand, generally designated 10, provided with a horizontally extending base 12 mounting a battery of laterally spaced upright rods 14 and a battery of laterally spaced upright rods 16. Extending laterally from the upper end portion of each rod 16 is a guide member 18 fashioned of wire and provided with longitudinally spaced loops 20. Revolvably fitted over each rod 14 is a yarn package 22 from which the yarn, designated 24, extends through the loops of the associated guide member 18.

The apparatus includes an electric heater, generally designated 26, mounting a battery of horizontally extending laterally spaced parallel metal rods 28. Electric power is supplied to the heater by moms of cables 30, and the temperature of the rods 28 is suitably controlled by manipulating a knob 32. The heater 26 is mounted upon a horizontally extending plate 34, which terminates at one end in an upright area 36 mounting a battery of guide sleeves 38. The plate 34 overlies the top 40 of a stand provided with legs 42.

Close adjacent the heater 26 is a yarn drawing and tension eliminating and tension control device, generally designated 44-, overlying an extension 46 of the top- 40. The device 44 is provided with a frame in the form of a U-shaped plate having upright laterally spaced legs 48 and 50 and a horizontally extending part 52 connecting the legs 48 and 50. A horizontally extending draw roll 54 is provided with opposite end portions journalled in anti-friction bearings respectively carried by the legs 48 and 50. A horizontally extending tension relieving roll 56 is provided with opposite end portions journalled respectively in anti-friction bearings carried by legs 48 and 50. The rolls 54 and 56 are mounted at approximately the same elevation and in laterally spaced parallel relation to each other. Carried by corresponding ends of the rolls 54 and 56 respectively are pulleys 58 and 60. Afiixed to the leg 48 is a bracket 62 upon which is mounted an electric motor 64, which carries a pulley 66. Trained about the pulley 66 and about the pulleys 58 and 66 is a belt, designated 68.

Spanning the legs 48 and 50, at one end of the device 44 is a guide member, generally designated 70, and spanning the legs 48 and 50 at the opposite end of the device 44 is a guide member, designated 72. Each guide member 70 and 72 includes a horizontally extending part 74 carrying a battery of guide sleeves 76. The part 74 terminates at each end in a part 78, flanged as at 80. Each flange is provided with an upright slot 82 through which extends a screw 84 threaded into the associated leg 48 or 50.

Still referring to the drawing, each yarn 24 extends from its package 22 through the loops 20 of one of the guide members 18- and then through one of the guide sleeves 38. When it emerges from the sleeve 38, it'wraps several times about one of the rods 28 and then extends through one of the guide sleeves 76 of the guide member 70. Then it passes under the draw roll 54 in contact therewith and over the roll 56 in contact therewith. Finally it extends through one of the sleeves 76 of the guide members 72, whereupon it passes to one of the yarn feed fingers of the knitting machine (not shown). Roll 54 is operated at a surface speed sufiicient to draw approximately 80 inches per second of yarn from each yarn pack-age. The heater rods are maintained at approximately 200 to 300 F., as a consequence of which as a yarn passes around and along its heater rod 28 in contact therewith, its temperature is raised and it is plasticized or semi-plasticized, i.e., it becomes soft. At the same time the yarn is reduced in length and increased in crosssectional area, the shrinkage being in the order of 12 percent. Roll 56 is operated at a surface speed which is sufilciently less than the surface speed of roll 54 to lower the controlled tension in the yarn which has passed roll 54 to zero tension. Thus yarn 24 is fed to the knitting machine in a plasticized tension relieved and controlled condition.

A yarn which is actually in the process of being knit into the fabric is drawn by the needles taut enough to induce frictional engagement of the yarn with the rolls 56 and 54, but when the yarn is removed from the needles, it goes slack and the friction between the yarn 24 and the rolls 54 and 56 is reduced to such a point that no yarn is drawn from the package thereof. Obviously, since the supply of yarn to the needles is discontinuous, at some 7 time or another some portion of each yarn must remain in contact with its heater rod 28 for an abnormal period of time. However, experiments have shown that the effect of the prolonged heat treatment is not harmful.

The circumferential extent of rollers 54 and 56 which comes into direct contact with the yarns 24 may be selectively varied by adjusting the guide members 70 and 7 2 vertically. After leaving the yarn drawing and tension relieving device, the yarn is knit into a fabric and made into a full length full fashioned or seamless stocking, as in my copending application Serial No. 98,616, filed March 27, 1961, to which application reference may be had for a detailed description.

The objects of said copending application are more fully realized by the practice of the method of the present invention. By feeding the yarn to the knitting machine not only in plasticized condition but also in tension relieved and controlled condition, more of it (by thread volume) is caused to be knitted into the fabric with the result that the elasticity of the stocking is increased. The stocking, at the stage when it is boarded and subjected to heat and pressure, is not only more effectively molded to the desired ultimate shape, but a more even distribution of elasticity is made possible along the length of the stock ing leg so that the final product, when worn, contacts the a leg of the wearer with the desired degree of pressure at each point.

In addition, stockings uniform in length may be produced by the method of the invention. They may in fact be so uniform in length that the time consuming and costly operation of pairing the same becomes superfluous.

It will be understood, of course, that the present invention, as described and shown, is susceptible to various changes and modifications which may be made without any departure from the general principles or real spirit of the invention. Accordingly, it is intended to claim the present invention broadly, as well as specifically, as indicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A method of knitting fabric of thermoplastic yarn comprising the steps of frictionally gripping a portion of said yarn and exerting thereon a force in the direction of normal yarn movement to draw said yarn from a package thereof through a zone wherein said yarn is heated suificiently to soften the same, frictionally gripping a second portion of said yarn and exerting thereon a force in the opposite direction thereby -to eliminate tension in the length of yarn in the zone between said frictionally gripped yarn portions, then drawing tension-free yarn from the second mentioned zone and drawing stitches in said yarn while it is in softened condition.

2. The method defined in claim 1 wherein frictional gripping of the yarn is effected by passing the yarn under and over two rollers rotated in the same direction.

3. A method of knitting stockings of thermoplastic yarn comprising the steps of frictionally gripping a portion of said yarn and exerting thereon a force in the direction of normal yarn movement to draw said yarn from a package thereof through a zone wherein said yarn is heated sufiiciently to soften the same, frictionally gripping a second portion of said yarn and exerting thereon a force in the opposite direction thereby to eliminate tension in the length of yarn in the zone between said frictionally gripped yarn portions, then drawing tension-free yarn from the second mentioned zone and drawing stitches in said yarn while it is in softened condition thereby to knit a stocking blank of a shape for being fitted to a fiat form with substantially straight front and rear edges of the leg portion tapering inwardly from the top toward the bottom of the leg portion, boarding the knitted stocking upon such a form, and setting the stocking while so boarded to mold it to the shape of the form.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,998,872 Houchin et a1 Apr. 23, 1935 2,098,418 Francis Nov. 9, 1937 2,702,998 Purcell Mar. 1, 1955 2,807,946 Virchaux Oct. 1, 1957 2,949,721 Van Dijk Aug. 23, 1960 3,050,819 Allman et a1 Aug. 28, 1962 3,055,197 Burleson Sept. 25, 1962 OTHER REFERENCES Lancashire: Greater Textural Uniformity," The Knitter, vol. 23, No. 11, November 1959, pp. 38 and 39,

published by Clark Publishing 00., Charlotte, N.C. 

1. A METHOD OF KNITTING FABRIC OF THERMOSPLASTIC YARN COMPRISING THE STEPS OF FRICTIONALLY GRIPPING A PORTION OF SAID YARN AND EXERTING THEREON A FORCE IN THE DIRECTION OF NORMAL YARN MOVEMENT TO DRAW SAID YARN FROM A PACKAGE THEREOF THROUGH A ZONE WHEREIN SAID YARN IS HEATED SUFFICIENTLY TO SOFTEN THE SAME, FRICTIONALLY GRIPPING A SECOND PORTION OF SAID YARN AND EXERTING THEREON A FORCE IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION THEREBY TO ELIMINATE TENSION IN THE LENGTH OF YARN IN THE ZONE BETWEEN SAID FRICTIONALLY GRIPPED YARN PORTIONS, THEN DRAWING TENSION-FREE YARN FROM THE SECOND MENTIONED ZONE AND DRAWING STITCHES IN SAID YARN WHILE IT IS IN SOFTENED CONDITION. 